Memphis Depay and Manchester United can only hope that it adds to the Dutchman’s story at Old Trafford and doesn’t just define it.

That history notes his first season in England as some kind of right of passage. A tricky spell he emerges from to become a better player. The best scripts always throw in a bit of doubt. Like the part in E.T. when you’re not sure whether he’s going to make it home.

There is no getting away from the fact that Memphis has had a disappointing season following his summer move from PSV Eindhoven.

Wayne Rooney, working as a pundit for ITV during England’s friendly with Holland, described it as ‘stop-start’ but he was being diplomatic. It suggests that at one point it got going.

Context, though, is everything. Memphis came to Old Trafford with a big price tag and even bigger expectations. He scored 22 goals in Eredivisie last season and had starred at the World Cup in 2014, all adding to the fans’ excitement.

Memphis Depay has scored seven goals in his debut season.

United had beaten off competition from Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Liverpool, they were told, and he would add pace, skill and goals to make the team watchable again. But it hasn’t worked out like that.

It’s easy to look at a player like Memphis and decide it’s all his own fault. The flash cars, strange outfits and celebrity friends can give the impression he’s more interested in being rich and famous than actually playing football. It’s easy to conclude that mistakes – like that header against Stoke or the mis-placed pass against Chelsea – somehow occur because his attitude isn’t good enough.

Memphis gave away a goal during the defeat to Stoke on Boxing Day.

But it wasn’t so long ago that some United fans were saying the same about Cristiano Ronaldo. The hair, the clothes, the tricks and the diving all contributed to the belief he was a show pony with little in the way of end product. Had you been in the pubs around Old Trafford in early 1992, you might have overheard similar debates about Ryan Giggs.

As a side note, Memphis’ seven goals this season is already better than Ronaldo’s return in his first season and matches Giggs’ debut campaign. Both Ronaldo and Giggs had obstacles to overcome during their early days at Old Trafford. There aren't many young players who don't.

Cristiano Ronaldo poses with Sir Alex Ferguson in 2003.

Plenty others have tried and failed, from players plucked from obscurity like David Bellion to established stars like Angel Di Maria. There’s never any guarantee it’s going to work out in the end.

Memphis isn’t the only one to blame. He can’t control the fee United paid or the expectation of the fans.

He spent pre-season playing behind the striker only to be moved onto the wing as soon as the season started. He’s seen his friend, Luke Shaw, hit with a horrible injury and, crucially, he’s been trying to settle into a new league in a new country while playing in a team that has struggled.

It has all contributed to a season that will be judged as a disappointment. He can only hope that’s not where his story ends. It is at least one of the few things he can control.